


Brotherly Stuff

by sugarby



Category: BlazBlue
Genre: Alternate Timelines, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-14
Updated: 2018-07-14
Packaged: 2019-06-10 06:55:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,575
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15286155
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sugarby/pseuds/sugarby
Summary: Jin's composed character at the academy threatens to crumble when Ragna, whose existence alone is problematic, is presented as the new student.





	Brotherly Stuff

**Author's Note:**

> Because I'm getting back in to the series, here's a rewrite of [this old thing](https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11072180/1/Brothers-Cycle-in-15), which I wrote while playing through Continuum Shift and now I'm waiting for Central Fiction to drop through my letterbox (then there's Cross Tag Battle next of course).
> 
> *no necessarily set in the same timeline as the CP Gag Reel where Ragna is a student, but like another one.   
>  ***not explicit incest** here but just Jin being his comically excited, weird self (which is actually the game tbh).

**i.**

Jin knew there would come a time for their paths to cross again—at the intersection of their countless, intertwining fates being manipulated by the hands of a high, phenomenal force.

It just doesn’t play out the way he thought.

His class is presented to a new student who casually introduces himself as _“Ragna. You know, the Grim Reaper. They always get my face wrong on those damn posters.”_ and it’s true; they draw him with the most unattractive expression he’ll swear he’s never pulled once in his entire, restless life. He even adds _“That guy who beats people up and shit.”_ in regards to the aggression and violence he’s typically famous for, never-mind it being in self defence against the people who keep hounding him. But that’s how the world sees him now, with an infamous history of brawling without reason and leaving people near death.

The class is quiet but among their bewildered faces, there isn’t one more outraged and excited, or relieved and appalled, than Jin’s. This puts a disturbance on his mentality, one he can’t afford to suffer with here in the academy as the honour student on his way to graduating with high appraisal.

Ragna moves to his assigned desk, passing Jin on the way without giving him the satisfaction of acknowledging him. Jin’s fingers roll in to a fist beneath the desk, creasing his marked A+ essay paper. It’s cause for immediate concern having him back in his life so soon—before he’s spent blood and sweat training for a proper reunion.

For a brief second, Ragna’s glances his way.

Jin ignores him the way he’d been ignored. There’s nothing he can say or do, no amount of top graded papers and no matter how highly he carries himself, that’ll excuse their mess of a relationship.

 

*   *

 

**ii.**

Jin thinks he can lock himself away in his dorm to avoid him—that he can pass along work to trustworthy peers and underclassmen who admire him, that he can attend classes from the receiving end of video calls, that he can read all the light novels he can lend. That his life will generally be easier to get through until he graduates as long as he keeps uninvolved in an and all business pertaining to Ragna The Bloodedge.

The years at the Academy will surely fly by. Time is tricky in this world with its sense of revolving and alternating every now and then, with little people clocking on to it.

“Hey, I’ve been assigned this room.” Ragna’s head emerges between the space of the door left ajar, his body from the waist up in that iconic jacket (violating the dress code) already intruding inside.

Jin thinks a lot of things at once, some sensible but overshadowed by the many that involve verbal and physical assault. As calmly as he possibly can right now, in that usual mightier-than-thou tone, “Oh? By who?”

“The dorm supervisor, dumbass.” Ragna pushes the door open and enters with his usual no-care, _‘bitch, fight me’_ attitude.

"How bold, or rather foolish, of you to insult me in my own room.”

“Except it’s not just yours anymore. I don’t like this anymore than you, so just be a good little boy and learn to share.”

It’s comments like this—condescending, arrogant, sorely reminiscent of their childhood—that put make Jin consider murder. “ _Don’t_ give me orders.” 

“Shut up already.”

Jin tries and fails to fall back in to the world of the light novel still open in his hands, the detailed illustrations duller than intended. Their fate is continuously at the mercy of cruel forces a while longer, it seems.

 

*   *

 

 **Iii.** ****

Jin divides the room with thick, long tape, gives himself the bigger half and leaves very little space for the new student’s tidbit possession on a shelf. If you ask him, it’s kind of him to even do that. He writes up a list of do’s and don’ts for only the new student to follow as well, and the majority of them are about not causing irritation or a disturbance.

Ragna’s eyes twitches at the irrationality of the list, how it’s basically a way to keep him in line and obedient. Like hell! “You know where you can shove this list, Jin?”

“If you feel this will complicate things for you then, by all means, ask the dorm supervisor to—"

“Oh no, I’m not falling for your childish tricks!” Ragna splits the list in a rough, jagged tear. He steps over ‘his bounds’ and forcefully makes more room for his things, knocking over plenty awards, books and other crap of Jin’s. Challengingly, he says, “If you want me out, you’re gonna have to grow a pair and do it yourself!” 

Jin’s body shudders familiarly. He imagines, to push Ragna out, he’d have to put his hands on him. And that—he subtly gulps—cranks his natural body temperature up remarkably. It’s like before. Jin tactfully turns it around, smirking, “You’d like that wouldn’t you, _brother_?”

Ragna shudders, an uncomfortable feeling rolling off him. "Shut up! Don't say it like that!"

“Like I told you earlier, you’re free to leave at any time.”

“And like _I_ already told _you_ , you’re gonna have to make me.”

Jin starts counting to ten, giving himself a chance to keep his composure.

“Unless you know you’ll get your ass handed to you, _Jinny_.”

Jin doesn't make it to six before they’re at each other, kicking, pushing and going for murder.

 

*   *

 

**iv.**

Jin relapses. Everything in the character he’s built up and kept consistently for the past few years—the facade of being no more than a talented student who lived an ordinary life prior—stutters, and pieces by pieces sheds.

Because of Ragna.

Peaceful times are now corrupted; he succumbs to mistreating the new student on school grounds with little shame but absolutely no regret whatsoever, his honourable status be damned at this point. He stands over Ragna, sleeping, with a pie taken from the closed cafeteria. Laughing quietly to himself, he tactlessly smothers it against Ragna’s face, temporarily blocking his airways with fresh, cold cream.

Ragna’s reaction happens in stages where first he groans as he groggily sits up, yawns and tries to rub the sleep out of his eyes, and then feels the cold cream. Feels it stickily shrouding his vision, feels it setting on his skin like a facial. Then he’s befuddled and shouts, “What the hell is on my face, Jin?!”

“This is what happens when you don’t obey my orders.”

“Are you serious right now?!” Ragna rages, staring at his pie-covered hands and fuming at the rest on his face. It’s the kind of immature prank Jin pulled at ten years old when he couldn’t monopolise his brother for himself and had to share him with their sister. Those were the days—the exhausting, memorable, sometimes-painfully-missed days. “It’s four AM, you whack-job!”

“Plenty of time for you to get reacquainted elsewhere.”

“I swear, if you weren’t my jerk of a brother, I’d have killed you from day one!”

He wouldn’t have. He knows it and Jin knows it and is happy to exploit and poke fun at it. “You’re just too soft. Swinging that enormous sword, acting all tough and dangerous like you’ll destroy anything and anyone, but so quick to change your tune when someone might get hurt.” 

“Fighting’s not always about beating the shit out of people.” Ragna says wisely, having finally learned that after countless, near-death battles with the majority of them feeling like losses no matter the outcome.”

"See? You’ve become weak.”

“Whatever. It’s too early for your bullshit.” Ragna swipes a finger across his cheek and tastes the cream. “The hell? Next time you wanna suffocate me with a freakin’ pie, make sure it doesn't actually taste good!"

 

*   *

 **v.**  

Ragna returns to their dorm room after classes and, walking in, he narrowly misses the dart thrown his way—times too perfectly to be a coincidence too. It digs in to the wall with a tip so pointy it has Ragna thanking Gods he doesn’t believe in or appreciate. Look at it, it’s got a glint! Only a psycho would use a sport accessory inappropriately!

Ragna raises a shaking fist, the vein on the side of his head moments from bursting, “You know, for an honor student, you sure love being a lil’ shit, don’t you?”

Jin smiles, another dart twiddling between his fingers, “Whatever do you mean?”

“You’re _really_ pushing your luck.” Ragna closes the door behind him, wanting Jin to catch on to the fact that there won’t be any witnesses to what’s about to ensue. No teacher or loyal lackey he can cry ‘big-bad-the Bloodedge’ to.

“I’m shaking in my uniform.” Jin says while lining the next dart up with Ragna’s head.

 

*   *

 

**vi.**

Whoever decides it’s alright, that it's rational to leave students at the mercy of Jin Kisaragi, armed with a thick, rubber ball and his pent-up frustration, clearly lacks any kind of common sense. The moment the whistle is blown for the game to begin is the same moment he lands a direct, brutal hit to the new student's crotch and sends him to his knees.

"J-Jin, you son of a...!" Teeth grinding through the pain, Ragna swears, "I’m gonna get you for this!”

"It's _dodge_ ball, Ragna. Do I really need to explain what that entails?"

"Fuck you!" Ragna growls but Jin _giggles_ —the hell?!—because there’s something enticing about him saying it so angrily. “Don’t you dare take that as anything other than me wanting to kick your ass, got it?!”

“It’s too late for that now, Ragna.”

Ragna pushes up from the ground, goes over and punches him in the face. When they’re both bruised in black and blue and sore red after a fight, they’re sent to the infirmary. Professor Kokonoe, filling in for Miss. Litchi today, explicitly tells them it’s no desire of hers to treat ‘a pair of dumbass, squabbling children’.

 

*   *

 

**Vii.**

They’re both still in a sour mood when they meet again in the hallway hours later, but Jin’s able to take enjoyment from seeing the new student so rattled. He smirks through the pain of his fractured nose, “We meet again, Ragna.”  
  
“Get the hell out of my way, Jin.”

“You can ask nicer than that, Mr The Bloodedge.”

Ragna leans forward from the waist, glaring, "Get the fuck out of my way please, Little Shit I'll Beat to a Pulp In About Five Seconds If You Try Me One More Goddamn Time.”

“Of course.” Jin steps aside, watches Ragna walk past and feels the sting of the words more than either expected.

 

 

*   *

 

**viii.**

Ragna lets out a shout when something sharp hits the back of his head.

Mr. Hazama sighs, "Alright, what's going on?"

Jin's not about to admit to anything and, so long as he keeps his glasses upright and stays quiet like a focused student, no one will believe he's otherwise. Except Ragna knows—he just knows it's not above his level to pull crap like this. His desk rattles furiously and screeches from how quickly he stands, and all the eyes of the disrupted class are on him, "Jin, I know it was you! Get the fuck up so I can—"

“Excuse me, Raggy.” Mr. Hazama calls, still at the front of the class. "I don't know what's got you so worked up but if you two are going to disrupt my class then I'll have to give you both a stern talking to."

Jin echoes, "The two of us?"

" _I saw_ you throw the Pen at him, Mr. Kisaragi."

"It was his reaction that disrupted your class." 

"Only reason I reacted was 'cause of you!" Ragna defends himself.

Mr. Hazama kicks his desk and the thunderous boom shocks the class in to silence. He smirks, "You know what? Getting paid to scold the pair of you sounds fun. Way more fun than this boring lecture. Rags, you go ahead and be pissed at Mr. Kisaragi here. Break shit, flip tables. Heck, why not make things more heated between you too?”

Jin crosses his arms, "If you're pushing for two students to be inappropriate with each other—”

“Especially,” Ragna says, “When we’re rel—” 

Jin isn’t ready for people to know about them and cuts him off, “Then, Mr Hazama, your position as a teacher should be reconsidered.” 

Mr Hazama hisses, “Watch it, Mr Kisaragi. One way or another, someone’s looking at a smackdown.”

 

*   *

 

**ix.**

Being the new student is enough of a reason to be surrounded by curious peers—maybe not all of them women like this occasion though. Desperate to know more and gagging for attention by their hair flicks and soft laughs and ‘harmless’ pulls on Ragna’s arm.

Jin can say, watching from an appropriate distance that won’t rouse suspicion, he doesn’t feel any different about this. At the end of the day, whether a bunch of _unworthy harpies_  are leading his brother away by his prosthetic hand or not, he still wants to kill him.

 

*   *

 

 **x.**  

It takes Noel every ounce of courage she can muster to approach him in the hallway, "J-Jin? I was just...you look upset. Is something wrong?" 

“Wrong…” He repeats, checking if that’s the appropriate word.

“Yeah. Has something happened?"

“Is it any of your business if it has?" He harshly replies and she flinches. Him, upset? Jin thinks the notion to be misguided and horrendously inconceivable, and looks to Noel with a side glance. He sighs, "I'm fine. There's nothing for me to be upset about, except the confidence you have in fabricating whatever you wish."

“H-huh?”

“You saw me standing here and thought something ridiculous, didn’t you?”

"No, that's not what I—"

"I could care less." 

"...I'm sorry. My mistake."

"No argument here.”

 

*   *

 

 **xi.**  

They have an unnatural break in communication. So Ragna takes it in to his hands to sort, knowing that if left to Jin, they'll never get over this. "I know we're not exactly best friends but isn't it weird we haven't spoken in a while?"

Jin keeps his eyes on his textbook, "No."

"Not even to fight?"

"My answer remains unchanged."

He probably isn't really reading that stupid textbook, it's just him being a massive pain. Ragna sighs, "Look, don't expect me to apologise 'cause we both know that's not gonna change a damn thing. It doesn't matter what happens from here on 'cause I won't forget anything from how we used to be. So seriously, quit this crap already. Otherwise you'll tip the balance of order and the moon might fall, you loser."

Jin uncomfortably stiffens at the reference of his irrational, childhood fear. Then, vengefully, he smirks and says, "You should look out too, Ragna. I've heard stories about this place being _haunted_."

Ragna takes a shaky step backward, "S-S-Shut up! Is not!"

 

*   *

 

**xii.**

Jin loses his glasses and has spent long enough feeling stuck that he's about to finally ask a friend to help him search when Ragna presents them to him from his pocket. "What are you doing with those? They're mine, give them back!"

Ragna moves his hand out of snatching reach, "You're supposed to say 'thanks', jerk."

Jin would never give him the benefit of gratitude. Nonetheless, he's curious. Watching his brother clutch his 'lost' glasses, he wonders how they came to be with him, and how he appeared with them at the right time.

"Don't look at me like that."

"You looked for these. For me." 

Ragna groans. He was afraid of the situation being misunderstood like this. "I just didn't want to see the whole place turning shit sideways for them, so I just grabbed a spare. That's all this is."

Jin takes the glasses and inspects the lenses, “Where did you get them?”

“Litchi. But anyway, now you can carry on with your Mr Perfect Honour Student act that—”

“Ragna…”

"Look, if I'm going to hell, I'd rather go without having 'killed a blind guy' under my belt, okay?” 

Jin scoffs, “I’m partially impaired, not blind. And you should’ve asked me first which lenses I take. Improper care for these things can cause problems later on. I can see well enough now but because of you, that might not be the case.”

“Is it really that hard to say ‘thank you’?”

“Is it so hard for you to use common sense and ask me before you do this?”

“Just shut up and take the glasses before I fix that!”

 

*   *

 

**xiii.**

It works.

Ragna's words—his _half-assed_ assurance about their complicated relationship—convinces Jin enough to free him from the bitter, jealous emotions that were clouding his heart and judgement for a while. He isn't perfect or whole again but he's better. Good.

He leaves no room for anyone to question or judge his relation to the new student who he openly exposes as his older brother.

 

*   *

 

 **xiv.**  

Jin exposed his relationship with Ragna expecting an uproar and possibly marks off his honourable status, not the two of them in the kitchen with his friends to bake the new student a cake and properly welcome him.

"You could've told us sooner that you're brothers!" Makoto says.

Jin replies, "It's no concern of yours."

Tsubaki finishes tying the strings of her apron and moves on to tie Noel's, "Don't be like that, Jin. She's right, we could've done this a lot sooner if only we'd known. What, did you think we'd cast you out? You thought _I_ would?"

"Of course not."

Tsubaki smiles, "Then there's no excuse." because really, with how long she and Jin have been friends—since they were children—he should know by now that she'll always be on his side. She gives the apron knot a final tug for security before sending Noel off. She smiles apologetically to Ragna. The news surprised her, to say the least, but it's even more unbelievable with how different they look from each other (which she mentioned and he told her that he used to be blonde, then she said 'oh' and felt silly). "Sorry, Ragna. Please, if we're being a nuisance, you can say."

"You are." he says.

"I hear you, but that doesn't mean we're about to stop."

"Why the hell you'd tell me to say it then?!" Tsubaki laughs. Ragna and Jin are so different in temperament. Ragna grumbles, looks down at the apron covering him, "It's too late now anyway."

Jin, also in an apron, smirks, "There's no improvement whatsoever."

"Shut it!"

“You don’t give me orders, Ragna.”

“I just did!"

"You have a death wish."

"Say that with my foot lodged up your—"

"U-Um!" Noel stutters in to diffuse their tension, "W-Why do you talk to each other like that? Is fighting normal for you two?"

"Imposing on a conversation that doesn't involve you. Miss Vermillion, is that _normal_ for _you_?" 

"I-I'm sorry!"

Makoto claps for everyone's attention, "Alright, enough chatting, let's get baking already!" she cheers, suddenly the one in the kitchen who's most in to it. "Tsubaki and Noellers, prepare the batter and put it in the oven! Carl and I will decorate when it's done!"

Carl shyly points at himself, "M-Me? Well, alright. I haven't decorated a cake before but I'll do my best."

"Atta boy! Oh, almost forgot! Jin, Ragna, you two can clean up afterwards, okay?"

"Hey, wait a sec! What?!" Ragna exclaims.

"Isn't there an alternative job?" Jin asks.

Makoto hums, "I guess you two can lick the batter from the bowl with Carl and me?"

"Miss Makoto, that won't be hygienic." Carl disapproves.

"Who cares? It'll taste great! Now, everyone, let's goooo!"

The hours they all spend in the kitchen baking and just being together. The cake comes out as perfect as ever: deliciously golden and tasty.

"What's wrong, Ragna?" Jink asks like he isn't secretly pressing a knife in to his side.

Ragna twitches, unable to shove him away with a plate of cake in his hands, "Jin, I swear to god, you either put that down or hold it in a different way, or I'm gonna seriously give it to you!”

Jin smirks, “Really? And just how are you going to give ‘it’ to me? Never knew you had such an interest in that kind of thing.” 

“For the billionth time, cut that creepy shit out!"

*   *

 

 **xv.**  

It won’t be like Jin to ever confess his entire feelings about Ragna, but he gradually gives hints in his own way. They’re playing a game together just like they used to before—when they were younger and things weren’t shifting to a calamity. He’s sure Ragna will understand someday, whether it be when they’re graduating, or when they’re heading separate ways, or even now while playing a classic fighting game.

But it’ll happen, because that part of their fate is theirs to control at the very least.

"Dammit, Jin!" Ragna snaps as he mashes buttons hard even though he knows he can't block or counter the multiple hits his avatar takes first. "The game's just started and you've already got my health down to less than fifty percent, you bastard!"

"What were you expecting? I play to win and to make sure you're at death's door."

"You seriously think I'm gonna let you?" Ragna's avatar performs a ten-hit combo, to Jin’s horror, and he smirks, “Heh. You’re going down, you piece of shit."

"I'm not done yet, Brother!"

"Bring it, Jin!"

**Author's Note:**

> The original is about 1k words, so I'm glad this rewrite is x3 that. I appreciate that rewriting this gives me the great opportunity of comparing how I wrote before to how I write now and feeling I've grown! And It's been fun writing these two idiots _(who better have their mess together in CF, I swear!)_.


End file.
